John Patrick Carroll

John Patrick Carroll (February 22, 1864 – November 4, 1925) was an American prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Helena in Montana from 1904 until his death in 1925.

Biography Early life Carroll was born on February 22, 1864, in Dubuque, Iowa, to Martin and Catherine (née O'Farrell) Carroll, both Irish natives. He received his early education at the parochial school of St. Raphael's Cathedral in Dubuque. Carroll then entered St. Joseph's College in Dubuque at age 13, graduating in 1883. He studied for the priesthood at the Grand Seminary of Montreal in Montreal, Quebec, where he earned his Doctor of Divinity degree. Upon his return to Dubuque, he performed his first mass at St. Raphael's Cathedral on July 11, 1889.

In 1904, the Diocese of Helena contained 53 priests, 65 churches, and nine parochial schools to serve 50,000 Catholics. By the time of Carroll's death 21 years later, there were 104 priests, 101 churches, 24 parochial schools, and a Catholic population of 64,000. During his tenure, he laid the cornerstone for the new Cathedral of Saint Helena in Helena, Montana in 1908 and established Mount St. Charles College in Helena in 1909.

Carroll was a vocal opponent of socialism, which he believed made "no allowance for the development of man's talents, intellectual gifts, his spirit of economy or his ability...Should this policy be pursued it would mean the ruin of a nation." He also condemned alcohol as "the most prolific source of poverty and misery" and successfully lobbied the Helena City Council to require bars to close by midnight. The son of Irish immigrants, he supported the Irish Home Rule movement and served as national chaplain of the Ancient Order of Hibernians. Mount St. Charles College was renamed Carroll College in his honor.